indulge

verb

in·​dulge in-ˈdəlj 

indulged; indulging

transitive verb

1

a

: to yield to the desire of : humor

please indulge me for a moment

b

: to treat with excessive leniency, generosity, or consideration

indulging the grandchildren

2

a

: to give free rein to

b

: to take unrestrained pleasure in : gratify

indulged in an expensive dinner

intransitive verb

: to indulge oneself

indulger noun

Synonyms of indulge

• gratify
• please
• humor
• cater (to)
• spoil
• satisfy
• revel
• delight
• bask

Choose the Right Synonym for indulge

indulge, pamper, humor, spoil, baby, mollycoddle mean to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings.

indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires.

indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse

pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect.

pampered by the amenities of modern living

humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims.

humored him by letting him tell the story

spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering.

foolish parents spoil their children

baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude.

babying students by grading too easily

mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare.

refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

Examples of indulge in a Sentence

It's my birthday. I'm going to indulge myself and eat whatever I want to eat.

It's my birthday. I'm going to indulge.

Please indulge me while I review the topics we covered yesterday.

The museum is an excellent place to let children indulge their curiosity about dinosaurs.

She bought a house with a big yard so that she could indulge her passion for gardening.

Recent Examples on the Web

For more than a quarter-century, fate never indulged us with another KU-MU game in Kansas City (other than the 2017 hurricane relief exhibition) as the series itself went dormant in the wake of Mizzou’s move to the Southeastern Conference. —Kansas City Star, 8 Dec. 2025

As for Princess Lilibet, 4, her mother indulges one of her current interests. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025

In theory, this is the only consistent and steady part of their lives in which Ilya and Shane can really indulge. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025

As part of their biggest sale of the year, the brand is offering up to 70% off everything (including home deals in the clearance section, and some Christmas decorations) plus free shipping during Cyber Monday, so there’s not much time left to indulge. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin indulgēre to be complaisant

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Phrases Containing indulge

• indulge in

Rhymes for indulge

• divulge
• bulge

Kids Definition

indulge

verb

in·​dulge in-ˈdəlj 

indulged; indulging

1

: to give in to one's own or another's desires : humor

indulged their grandchildren's whims

2

: to allow oneself the pleasure of having or doing something

decided to indulge in ice cream

indulger noun